Pulp Mill May Bring 130+ Jobs

DAYTON - A group of developers officially an- nounced plans this week to construct a large facility in Columbia County, near Starbuck, to produce pulp for paper products from wheat straw. Their company, called Columbia Pulp, hopes to have its pulp mill up and running in the fall of 2015. It would produce more than 400 tons of pulp per day and would likely employ more than 130 full-time workers.

According to lead partner John Begley, Columbia Pulp has secured a 450-acre site along Highway 261 near the entrance to Lyons Ferry Ma- rina. The firm has also begun applying for various zoning and environmental permits.

"That process will take about a year," he said. Con- struction on the plant is slated to begin late next year.

Begley said that when the first phase of the project is completed, the pulp produced by the plant will be sold to other manufacturers to make paper products.

Straw pulp can be made into many types of consumer paper and packaging products, according to Begley, including napkins and tissue, as well as food pack- aging. He said the process to be used in the Columbia County plant is new, and he knows of only one currently operating mill in the U.S., though others are in the planning stages.

"This is a market-grade pulp that is competitive with hardwood pulp," he said.

Begley said Columbia Pulp has plans for three phases of development. When the third phase is completed, the firm would manufacture its own prod- ucts and might employ as many as 200 workers. He wouldn't speculate on when further development will take place, but when com- pleted, there would be at least three large structures at the facility, including processing and warehouse space.

The Lyons Ferry site was chosen, Begley said, because it is located in an indus­trial zone, and has access to a natural gas line. It also has good access to road, rail and Snake River barge transpor­tation.

Columbia Pulp is also in the process of securing water rights to allow it to access the necessary water for pulp production.

According to the firm's press release, "The process will reduce field burning in the region, and will require approximately 240,000 tons per year of straw. Along with the very positive envi­ronmental impact, this will be a strong economic boom to the entire Southeastern Washington region."

Begley said that Colum­bia Pulp has been in con­versation with many wheat farmers in Southeast Wash­ington, to make sure the necessary quantity of straw will be available.

Columbia County Plan­ner Kim Lyonnais has been talking with Columbia Pulp representatives for several months regarding zoning and permitting issues. He told The Times that the po­tential impact on Columbia County's infrastructure is huge, if the plant reaches its full potential.

Housing demand would impact not only Starbuck and Dayton, but also Waits­burg, Pomeroy and even Washtucna and Kahlotus, according to Lyonnais. The impact on local roads and other transportation infra­structure would also be sig­nificant.

Begley said he was pre­senting the firm's plan to the Columbia County Commis­sioners on Wednesday, and to the Garfield County Com­missioners on Thursday. He is also meeting with several other local groups this week.